Integrated circuit (microcircuit) devices commonly utilize a construction in which the semiconductor integrated circuit "chip" is mounted upon an insulator base with a plurality of relatively thin electrical connector leads projecting from the base to provide for connection of the device to external circuits. One common construction comprises a dual in-line package in which the leads protrude from the opposite sides of the device and are bent at right angles, in a common direction, to afford mounting pins for the device. For example, twenty leads may extend from each of two opposed sides in a forty-lead microcircuit device. Device packages of this kind have encountered reliability problems due to breaking of the leads during manufacturing, testing and shipping.
In view of the aforementioned problems, leadless microcircuit packages have been developed which eliminate the external leads and instead utilize flat conductive contacts or pads disposed on a common surface along two parallel edges of the insulator base.